Chapter 125 - The Price of Passage

At the winding mountain pass, where jagged cliffs loomed on either side, Theodric and Kola stood across from the monstrous Primordial Rhino, its hulking form casting a shadow so vast it seemed to swallow the sunlight. Kola's dark skin glistened under the harsh daylight, sweat streaming down his arms and face like rivulets carving through stone. Beside him, Theodric's breath was ragged, his face slick with perspiration, droplets falling from his nose like rain in the dry heat. Around him, four of his knives hovered steadily, their steel unscathed, while three bore the scars of battle, jagged dents along their once-pristine edges. They floated around him like celestial bodies caught in the gravitational pull of an unseen force, each trembling with barely contained energy.